This church held a workshop where immigrants and refugees told their own stories. It is amazing what people go through before they come here. - - Donna Poisl
BY PAT JARRETT/STAFF
GROTTOES — When the man in the back of that truck in Rwanda held a gun to Jean Pierre Ndengeyingoma's head and told him to say his prayers, he did.
"Push the evil away," he prayed.
There was plenty of evil that year, 1994, when a genocidal civil war killed 800,000 people in the small East African nation.
Ndengeyingoma was nearly one of the victims. The man on the truck stabbed Ndengeyingoma in the chest, aiming for the heart, and pushed him off the truck. The attack left him bloody, but alive, on the side of the road.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Immigrants of Two Eras Join Together to Celebrate
Italian and Hispanic immigrants are celebrating this feast day, combining their two cultures. This is definitely America. - - Donna Poisl
By PETER APPLEBOME
BRENTWOOD, N.Y.-- It was probably inevitable that the annual Feast of Mother Cabrini run by the Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge, Order of Sons of Italy in America, Long Island’s answer to Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro, would offer attractions like the Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company and the taco stand on the midway.
Brentwood, a patch of sprawl in Suffolk County, once largely populated by Italians who migrated there from Brooklyn in the ’50s and ’60s, is now largely Central American. The signs on Fifth Avenue read La Cubanita Hoy, Teresa’s Latin Look Unisex Salon, La Excelencia Bakery and Deli, Centro Evangelistico Pentecostes. The big-screen TV behind the registers at the Compare Market shows soccer; the in-store music is salsa and merengue.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By PETER APPLEBOME
BRENTWOOD, N.Y.-- It was probably inevitable that the annual Feast of Mother Cabrini run by the Giuseppe A. Nigro Lodge, Order of Sons of Italy in America, Long Island’s answer to Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro, would offer attractions like the Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company and the taco stand on the midway.
Brentwood, a patch of sprawl in Suffolk County, once largely populated by Italians who migrated there from Brooklyn in the ’50s and ’60s, is now largely Central American. The signs on Fifth Avenue read La Cubanita Hoy, Teresa’s Latin Look Unisex Salon, La Excelencia Bakery and Deli, Centro Evangelistico Pentecostes. The big-screen TV behind the registers at the Compare Market shows soccer; the in-store music is salsa and merengue.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
No more spilling of vitriol on immigration
We can only wish and hope that this could happen; no more rage or hate. - - Donna Poisl
by Jan Jarboe Russell
No matter what you think about immigration reform, surely we can all agree that the solution will not be found on rage-fueled talk radio.
The problem is, we are captured between two opposing, entrenched extremes. On one side, there are those who want to close the border to Mexicans and deport the millions of illegal immigrants already here. On the other sits the group that wants a more open border and amnesty for those here illegally.
If we took the politics out of the equation, what would a smart solution — one that puts America's interests first — look like?
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Jan Jarboe Russell
No matter what you think about immigration reform, surely we can all agree that the solution will not be found on rage-fueled talk radio.
The problem is, we are captured between two opposing, entrenched extremes. On one side, there are those who want to close the border to Mexicans and deport the millions of illegal immigrants already here. On the other sits the group that wants a more open border and amnesty for those here illegally.
If we took the politics out of the equation, what would a smart solution — one that puts America's interests first — look like?
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Immigrants Might Leave Arizona But Not The Country
Immigrants left Arizona after SB 1070, many moving to Colorado, California and New Mexico. - - Donna Poisl
by SERGIO QUINTANA
When Arizona legislators introduced SB 1070 earlier this year, their intention was to crack down on illegal immigrants in the state. The law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone in custody. Since the controversial law took effect, many of the toughest measures have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
One of the key goals of the law was to encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport to their home countries. But while people are leaving Arizona, many may be moving to other states, including neighboring New Mexico.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by SERGIO QUINTANA
When Arizona legislators introduced SB 1070 earlier this year, their intention was to crack down on illegal immigrants in the state. The law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone in custody. Since the controversial law took effect, many of the toughest measures have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
One of the key goals of the law was to encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport to their home countries. But while people are leaving Arizona, many may be moving to other states, including neighboring New Mexico.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
How do you become American?
An opinion piece about immigrants and what they do to become Americans. - - Donna Poisl
by Joan Leon/Looking Forward
What does it mean to be an American? What is the perception of an American in other parts of the world?
Is it speaking English, with the many different accents heard in New York or Georgia or Texas? Is it our can-do attitude? Is it the sense of humor, an assured manner? Is it our confidence that our government will be stable and powerful? Is it our materialism?
Is it finally becoming a citizen?
It may take several generations to assimilate into American mainstream, but retaining customs and traditions of other cultures adds to our diversity.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Joan Leon/Looking Forward
What does it mean to be an American? What is the perception of an American in other parts of the world?
Is it speaking English, with the many different accents heard in New York or Georgia or Texas? Is it our can-do attitude? Is it the sense of humor, an assured manner? Is it our confidence that our government will be stable and powerful? Is it our materialism?
Is it finally becoming a citizen?
It may take several generations to assimilate into American mainstream, but retaining customs and traditions of other cultures adds to our diversity.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Russian immigrant released from detention
This young man was scheduled for deportation and his supporters are hoping he can stay until the DREAM Act is passed. This law is perfect for his case. - - Donna Poisl
Valerie Olander / The Detroit News
Detroit -- For more than three months, Ivan Nikolov, 22, was held in a detention center expecting to be deported to Russia, a country he barely remembers.
Nikolov, who grew up in Roseville starting at age 11, was freed Monday while his case is reviewed by immigration authorities, who may let him stay in the country for up to a year.
"I can't believe I'm walking down the street after only being able to walk in a circle in a fenced-in area," he said Tuesday during a rally attended by a small group of supporters outside the McNamara Federal Building.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Valerie Olander / The Detroit News
Detroit -- For more than three months, Ivan Nikolov, 22, was held in a detention center expecting to be deported to Russia, a country he barely remembers.
Nikolov, who grew up in Roseville starting at age 11, was freed Monday while his case is reviewed by immigration authorities, who may let him stay in the country for up to a year.
"I can't believe I'm walking down the street after only being able to walk in a circle in a fenced-in area," he said Tuesday during a rally attended by a small group of supporters outside the McNamara Federal Building.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Immigrants weave new connections through old looms
A lovely story about these refugee women from Bhutan who are putting old wooden looms to wonderful use. The looms were stored for many years until these women started using skills they have known all their lives. - - Donna Poisl
By ROBERT L. SMITH, The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Mangali Rai sat before a wooden loom probably a century old and played the antique instrument like a harp. As her feet pumped slender pedals, her fingers danced across taut strands of yarn, plucking and arranging threads as if spinning a web.
More striking than the speed of her hands was the serenity of her gaze. As she weaves, Rai becomes lost in a kind of mental ballet, a silent rhythm that jumps an audible beat each time the "thump thump" of her beater presses another line of yarn into a growing tapestry.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By ROBERT L. SMITH, The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Mangali Rai sat before a wooden loom probably a century old and played the antique instrument like a harp. As her feet pumped slender pedals, her fingers danced across taut strands of yarn, plucking and arranging threads as if spinning a web.
More striking than the speed of her hands was the serenity of her gaze. As she weaves, Rai becomes lost in a kind of mental ballet, a silent rhythm that jumps an audible beat each time the "thump thump" of her beater presses another line of yarn into a growing tapestry.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Alberto Gonzales: Changing the 14th Amendment won't solve our immigration crisis
This Bush cabinet member has spoken out on changing the 14th Amendment. That administration was for immigration reform and a path to citizenship for people here illegally. - - Donna Poisl
By Alberto R. Gonzales
Like most Americans, I am a descendant of immigrants and a grateful beneficiary of the opportunities available to our nation's citizens. My grandparents emigrated from Mexico in the early 20th century seeking a better life, and they found it working in the fields and dairy farms of Texas. Diversity is one of the great strengths of the United States -- diversity fueled by the migration of ethnicities, cultures and ideas.
Today, however, there is virtually universal agreement that our immigration process is broken. While security on our southern border has improved in the past decade, it remains inadequate in a post-9/11 world. Many employers hire undocumented workers with little concern about prosecution.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Alberto R. Gonzales
Like most Americans, I am a descendant of immigrants and a grateful beneficiary of the opportunities available to our nation's citizens. My grandparents emigrated from Mexico in the early 20th century seeking a better life, and they found it working in the fields and dairy farms of Texas. Diversity is one of the great strengths of the United States -- diversity fueled by the migration of ethnicities, cultures and ideas.
Today, however, there is virtually universal agreement that our immigration process is broken. While security on our southern border has improved in the past decade, it remains inadequate in a post-9/11 world. Many employers hire undocumented workers with little concern about prosecution.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
New York more immigration friendly than Arizona, says new poll
An interesting article comparing Arizona's law and NYC opinion. - - Donna Poisl
BY LARRY MCSHANE, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The nation's melting pot is a lot more welcoming to immigrants - legal or not - than Arizona.
New Yorkers oppose Arizona's new immigration law by a nearly 2-1 margin, although whites in the city were slightly in favor of the controversial plan, a new Daily News/Marist Poll survey found.
While 78% of blacks and 70% of Latinos are against the law, the percentage among whites was 49-47 in favor of the law, the survey reported.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
BY LARRY MCSHANE, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The nation's melting pot is a lot more welcoming to immigrants - legal or not - than Arizona.
New Yorkers oppose Arizona's new immigration law by a nearly 2-1 margin, although whites in the city were slightly in favor of the controversial plan, a new Daily News/Marist Poll survey found.
While 78% of blacks and 70% of Latinos are against the law, the percentage among whites was 49-47 in favor of the law, the survey reported.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
While we debate the issue of an official language, new immigrants line up to learn English in Minnesota
This article proves that immigrants are lining up for English classes and they all know how important it is to learn English. It disproves the myth that they don't care. - - Donna Poisl
BY CYNTHIA BOYD, MINNPOST
There's been a lot of political discussion of late about the English language - whether it should be our government's official mode of communication.
Tim Pawlenty, our maybe-presidential-candidate, is agreeable to that. The Lino Lakes City Council has decreed it.
Some politicians even suggest immigrants and refugees shouldn't be allowed past Lady Liberty unless they speak English.
Given all that, you might think people not born here don't want to learn English. The numbers and the people tell you otherwise.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
BY CYNTHIA BOYD, MINNPOST
There's been a lot of political discussion of late about the English language - whether it should be our government's official mode of communication.
Tim Pawlenty, our maybe-presidential-candidate, is agreeable to that. The Lino Lakes City Council has decreed it.
Some politicians even suggest immigrants and refugees shouldn't be allowed past Lady Liberty unless they speak English.
Given all that, you might think people not born here don't want to learn English. The numbers and the people tell you otherwise.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Swatting babies with the Constitution doesn't improve immigration system
A good opinion piece about the attempt to change our Constitution. - - Donna Poisl
Star-Telegram EDITORIAL
If undertaking the justifiably difficult process of amending the U.S. Constitution would effectively deter illegal immigration and satisfactorily deal with the millions of undocumented residents already in the country, the effort might be worthwhile.
But all this talk about "anchor babies" and "birth tourism" and congressional hearings on the 14th Amendment are political sound and fury that accomplish nothing constructive regarding U.S. immigration policy.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Star-Telegram EDITORIAL
If undertaking the justifiably difficult process of amending the U.S. Constitution would effectively deter illegal immigration and satisfactorily deal with the millions of undocumented residents already in the country, the effort might be worthwhile.
But all this talk about "anchor babies" and "birth tourism" and congressional hearings on the 14th Amendment are political sound and fury that accomplish nothing constructive regarding U.S. immigration policy.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
New Immigrants Put Stamp on Richmond Hill
This town has always been home to immigrants, but the home countries of the people have changed over the years. - - Donna Poisl
By KAVITA MOKHA
From the sounds of calypso and soca that permeate Liberty Avenue's roti shops and the Bhangra beats that rock Atlantic Avenue's Punjabi restaurants, to the Latin rhythms in bodegas along Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hill is a garden community in Queens whose past is as diverse as its present.
Originally home to a large Irish, German and Italian population, the neighborhood has experienced a marked demographic shift in the last few decades.
"A part of Richmond Hill was unofficially known as 'Berlin' in the 1800s on account of its large German population," said local historian Carl Ballenas. "A large number of European immigrants were drawn to the area to work in the [Long Island] Rail Road repair shops. But many left for bigger homes elsewhere, making way for the newer immigrants from India, South America and the Caribbean."
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By KAVITA MOKHA
From the sounds of calypso and soca that permeate Liberty Avenue's roti shops and the Bhangra beats that rock Atlantic Avenue's Punjabi restaurants, to the Latin rhythms in bodegas along Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hill is a garden community in Queens whose past is as diverse as its present.
Originally home to a large Irish, German and Italian population, the neighborhood has experienced a marked demographic shift in the last few decades.
"A part of Richmond Hill was unofficially known as 'Berlin' in the 1800s on account of its large German population," said local historian Carl Ballenas. "A large number of European immigrants were drawn to the area to work in the [Long Island] Rail Road repair shops. But many left for bigger homes elsewhere, making way for the newer immigrants from India, South America and the Caribbean."
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
BGJHS LATINO CLUB HELPS IMPROVE GRADES, SELF-ESTEEM
This club is mentoring Latino kids and using their experiences to build self-confidence and help them get better grades in school too. - - Donna Poisl
from LEX18.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Growing up the child of Mexican immigrants in South Los Angeles, Sandra Light statistically was not supposed to make it.
She beat the odds.Now the Bowling Green Junior High School reading teacher wants to make sure her Latino students beat them, too.
Bowling Green Independent Schools has become one of the most diverse school districts in the state, but even second-generation immigrant children here still face struggles.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
from LEX18.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Growing up the child of Mexican immigrants in South Los Angeles, Sandra Light statistically was not supposed to make it.
She beat the odds.Now the Bowling Green Junior High School reading teacher wants to make sure her Latino students beat them, too.
Bowling Green Independent Schools has become one of the most diverse school districts in the state, but even second-generation immigrant children here still face struggles.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Immigration Reform: We Can Do Better
This article lists many things that should be included in any immigration reform discussion. - - Donna Poisl
by Ben Daniel
In the last few weeks, a lot has been happening in the great American conversation around immigration. A federal court struck down SB 1070, Arizona's "get-tough-on-immigration-because-the-Obama-administration-won't-do-diddly" law. Several prominent Republicans have started campaigning against the 14th amendment to the United States' constitution, which, among other things, grants citizenship to any person born in the Unites States.
Then, in the second week of August, both the House and Senate passed an emergency spending bill that will send 600 million dollars to the US border. The money will pay for 1500 border enforcement personnel, it will support the overburdened court system, and it will provide for the monitoring of the border by unmanned aircraft.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Ben Daniel
In the last few weeks, a lot has been happening in the great American conversation around immigration. A federal court struck down SB 1070, Arizona's "get-tough-on-immigration-because-the-Obama-administration-won't-do-diddly" law. Several prominent Republicans have started campaigning against the 14th amendment to the United States' constitution, which, among other things, grants citizenship to any person born in the Unites States.
Then, in the second week of August, both the House and Senate passed an emergency spending bill that will send 600 million dollars to the US border. The money will pay for 1500 border enforcement personnel, it will support the overburdened court system, and it will provide for the monitoring of the border by unmanned aircraft.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION
Click the headline to read stories from this week from the Immigration Policy Center.
5 upcoming on-line global webinars
LatinoGraduate.net Global Broadcasting studio
August 2010
I.
"Las Plumas Book Club"; author Reyna Grande, "Dancing with Butterflies"
Thursday, August 26th at 6 PM - 7 PM (PT)
II.
"Being #1 on the Hiring List: Strategies for Today's Job Market" by J. Juan Macias, LCSW
Thursday, August 26th at 7 PM - 8 PM (PT)
September 2010
III.
"Be A Successful Latina/o College Student, Part 1", by Armando Sanchez
Thursday, September 2nd at 6 PM - 7 PM (PT)
IV.
"Becoming a Screenwriter, Part 1" by Screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos
Thursday, September 2nd at 7 PM - 8 PM (PT)
V.
“Writing and Publishing our Stories, Part 1 & 2", with Amada Irma Pérez
Saturday, September 4
1. The Magic of Writing: Getting Started 10 AM - 12 PM (PT)
2. The Magic of Writing Continues 12 PM - 2 PM (PT)
August 2010
I.
"Las Plumas Book Club"; author Reyna Grande, "Dancing with Butterflies"
Thursday, August 26th at 6 PM - 7 PM (PT)
II.
"Being #1 on the Hiring List: Strategies for Today's Job Market" by J. Juan Macias, LCSW
Thursday, August 26th at 7 PM - 8 PM (PT)
September 2010
III.
"Be A Successful Latina/o College Student, Part 1", by Armando Sanchez
Thursday, September 2nd at 6 PM - 7 PM (PT)
IV.
"Becoming a Screenwriter, Part 1" by Screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos
Thursday, September 2nd at 7 PM - 8 PM (PT)
V.
“Writing and Publishing our Stories, Part 1 & 2", with Amada Irma Pérez
Saturday, September 4
1. The Magic of Writing: Getting Started 10 AM - 12 PM (PT)
2. The Magic of Writing Continues 12 PM - 2 PM (PT)
Utah lawmakers blast illegal-immigration bill
Utah officials are working on a bill that will try to be much different than the bills that mimic AZ SB1070. They know how expensive that bill would be for them and it could not be enforced. - - Donna Poisl
By Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune
Implementing proposed immigration legislation modeled after Arizona’s controversial law could cost Utah millions of dollars, according to a state senator, who is working on an alternate plan.
Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, unveiled his proposed immigration legislation last week, modeled after Arizona legislation that requires local police to enforce federal immigration laws and detain people in the country illegally.
“This bill is fiscally irresponsible,” said Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City. “We don’t have the money to pay for these types of issues.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune
Implementing proposed immigration legislation modeled after Arizona’s controversial law could cost Utah millions of dollars, according to a state senator, who is working on an alternate plan.
Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, unveiled his proposed immigration legislation last week, modeled after Arizona legislation that requires local police to enforce federal immigration laws and detain people in the country illegally.
“This bill is fiscally irresponsible,” said Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City. “We don’t have the money to pay for these types of issues.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Sign Open Letter to Support Reform
from National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
Arizona's SB 1070 brought the nation to a critical moment in its enduring, developing story as a nation of immigrants. We remain confident 1070 will eventually be struck down in its entirety by federal courts, and we are hopeful a new generation of local leaders will emerge to set things right in the Arizona state capitol. However, the simple truth is this: the attack on immigrants in Arizona didn't start with 1070, and it won't end in federal district court. We must turn the tide together on immigrant scapegoating, and we must overcome the current political environment where criminalization of Latinos and communities of color is deemed tolerable by most and desirable by some. It is our obligation to defend the victories for equality by those who came before us.
The time is now to turn the corner, both because the country is unifying against Arizona's policy and because there is tremendous urgency. While the Justice Department took the necessary step of filing a lawsuit in federal court, that action was by no means sufficient to undo the damage caused by the Obama administration's policies. Just yesterday, the New York Times published an editorial warning of the breathtaking scale in which Arizona-like policies are advancing throughout the country.
Please join us in taking immediate action with our brothers and sisters in the civil rights and criminal justice reform community.
We are inviting organizations and community groups to join us in endorsing an open letter drafted by a coalition of organizations that calls on the Obama administration to address the dangerous merger of the federal immigration enforcement system with state criminal justice systems (please, no individual sign-ons at this time). Your group/organization's endorsement is needed by Friday, September 3rd.
CLICK HEADLINE TO JOIN US IN ENDORSING THE OPEN LETTER.
As a nation, we are finally starting to acknowledge how racial disparities in the criminal justice system are creating and perpetuating racial hierarchy in the United States. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) increasing reliance upon programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities and the Criminal Alien Program (CAP) to enforce federal immigration laws threatens to undo that progress.
Direct Link to Sign-on page: http://bit.ly/SignOnLetter
Arizona's SB 1070 brought the nation to a critical moment in its enduring, developing story as a nation of immigrants. We remain confident 1070 will eventually be struck down in its entirety by federal courts, and we are hopeful a new generation of local leaders will emerge to set things right in the Arizona state capitol. However, the simple truth is this: the attack on immigrants in Arizona didn't start with 1070, and it won't end in federal district court. We must turn the tide together on immigrant scapegoating, and we must overcome the current political environment where criminalization of Latinos and communities of color is deemed tolerable by most and desirable by some. It is our obligation to defend the victories for equality by those who came before us.
The time is now to turn the corner, both because the country is unifying against Arizona's policy and because there is tremendous urgency. While the Justice Department took the necessary step of filing a lawsuit in federal court, that action was by no means sufficient to undo the damage caused by the Obama administration's policies. Just yesterday, the New York Times published an editorial warning of the breathtaking scale in which Arizona-like policies are advancing throughout the country.
Please join us in taking immediate action with our brothers and sisters in the civil rights and criminal justice reform community.
We are inviting organizations and community groups to join us in endorsing an open letter drafted by a coalition of organizations that calls on the Obama administration to address the dangerous merger of the federal immigration enforcement system with state criminal justice systems (please, no individual sign-ons at this time). Your group/organization's endorsement is needed by Friday, September 3rd.
CLICK HEADLINE TO JOIN US IN ENDORSING THE OPEN LETTER.
As a nation, we are finally starting to acknowledge how racial disparities in the criminal justice system are creating and perpetuating racial hierarchy in the United States. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) increasing reliance upon programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities and the Criminal Alien Program (CAP) to enforce federal immigration laws threatens to undo that progress.
Direct Link to Sign-on page: http://bit.ly/SignOnLetter
"Power and the People", Politico poll results
Click on the headline and read this 10 page Politico poll. It asks a sample of 1,668 people many questions about current political and policy views, including immigration reform.
Very interesting.
Very interesting.
Defending the 14th Amendment
from Rich Stolz, ReformImmigrationFORAmerica
Defending the 14th Amendment: Late last month Senator Lindsey Graham announced that he may attempt to change the Constitution to repeal the guarantee for birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment. When Senators Kyl, McConnell and McCain endorsed hearings on the issue, a storm of anti-immigrant sentiment followed from the right. "People come here to have babies. They come here to drop a child," Senator Graham told Fox News while discussing his desire to stop immigrants from having “anchor babies.”
His comments are outrageous, and a chorus of voices (ranging from John Stewart to Lou Dobbs) is building to beat back the extremist attack on the Constitution. The rights guaranteed in the 14th Amendment are fundamental and should not be challenged for political purposes. As one columnist wrote in response to Senator Graham’s comments, “I have lived for more than half a century, and I have yet to meet a mother anywhere in the world who would describe the excruciating miracle of birth as "dropping" a baby.” Jon Stewart’s entire opening segment mocked the senators and pundits asking, “You want to be tough on babies?” Punishing babies who are born in the United States to non-citizen parents would be an extreme and un-American measure even if it did not threaten a Constitutional right that was instilled over 100 years ago.
In response to these hateful calls for repeal, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) held a press conference featuring Michele Waslin of the Immigration Policy Center, Margaret Stock, Attorney and Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Military Police Corps, US Army Reserve, Elizabeth Wydra Constitutional Accountability Center, Eric Ward, Center for New Community, and Bill Ong Hing, of the University of San Francisco School of Law. These experts discussed the importance of preserving the 14th Amendment and debunked the arguments against birthright citizenship. IPC also released a variety of materials on the 14th Amendment, birthright citizenship and why we should defend these rights.
Also in defense of the 14th Amendment, the Conservatives for CIR (CfCIR) brought together legal experts from across the political spectrum, including the deans of the Liberty University School of Law, the University of California Davis School of Law and a professor of law at West Point on a national telephonic conference. All agreed that this latest political move is a misguided attack on immigrants and a distraction from real Congressional action on a practical and lasting solution to our broken immigration system.You can hear a recording of the call at http://www.conservativesforcir.org/CfCIR_8-18.mp3
Defending the 14th Amendment: Late last month Senator Lindsey Graham announced that he may attempt to change the Constitution to repeal the guarantee for birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment. When Senators Kyl, McConnell and McCain endorsed hearings on the issue, a storm of anti-immigrant sentiment followed from the right. "People come here to have babies. They come here to drop a child," Senator Graham told Fox News while discussing his desire to stop immigrants from having “anchor babies.”
His comments are outrageous, and a chorus of voices (ranging from John Stewart to Lou Dobbs) is building to beat back the extremist attack on the Constitution. The rights guaranteed in the 14th Amendment are fundamental and should not be challenged for political purposes. As one columnist wrote in response to Senator Graham’s comments, “I have lived for more than half a century, and I have yet to meet a mother anywhere in the world who would describe the excruciating miracle of birth as "dropping" a baby.” Jon Stewart’s entire opening segment mocked the senators and pundits asking, “You want to be tough on babies?” Punishing babies who are born in the United States to non-citizen parents would be an extreme and un-American measure even if it did not threaten a Constitutional right that was instilled over 100 years ago.
In response to these hateful calls for repeal, the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) held a press conference featuring Michele Waslin of the Immigration Policy Center, Margaret Stock, Attorney and Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Military Police Corps, US Army Reserve, Elizabeth Wydra Constitutional Accountability Center, Eric Ward, Center for New Community, and Bill Ong Hing, of the University of San Francisco School of Law. These experts discussed the importance of preserving the 14th Amendment and debunked the arguments against birthright citizenship. IPC also released a variety of materials on the 14th Amendment, birthright citizenship and why we should defend these rights.
Also in defense of the 14th Amendment, the Conservatives for CIR (CfCIR) brought together legal experts from across the political spectrum, including the deans of the Liberty University School of Law, the University of California Davis School of Law and a professor of law at West Point on a national telephonic conference. All agreed that this latest political move is a misguided attack on immigrants and a distraction from real Congressional action on a practical and lasting solution to our broken immigration system.You can hear a recording of the call at http://www.conservativesforcir.org/CfCIR_8-18.mp3
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